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Why Mitt Romney needs to own Michigan

“The race is in flux in a way that defies conventional wisdom,” said Greg McNeilly, who ran Republican Dick DeVos’s 2006 gubernatorial race and isn’t aligned this year. “Nobody would’ve expected Romney to be showing vulnerability here, but there is some ‘establishmentitis.’”

“If this turns out to be a pitchfork primary, Romney is going to have some trouble,” said Paul Welday, a former Oakland County GOP chairman and Romney backer who lost a 2010 congressional primary to a tea party Republican.

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Santorum benefits partly from the contrarian impulse that runs through the Michigan electorate, but even more from his blue-collar persona and authentic passion on cultural issues in a state full of working-class Catholics, Dutch Reformed Church members and nondenominational Christians. It’s well known that Michigan has been hit hard by the recession and is ripe for a populist message, but what’s less understood is just how important a role social conservatives play in the state’s GOP.

“Michigan Right to Life is one of the strongest issue groups in any state I work in,” said GOP ad man Mike Hudome, who ran McCain’s 2000 Michigan campaign and has worked on other state races there.

“He’s like a Rust Belt Huckabee,” said McNeilly of Santorum, citing the former Pennsylvania senator’s mix of populism and Christian conservative appeal.

Santorum could also have another, unexpected ally in his corner: mischief-making Democrats.

The Michigan GOP primary is open, there’s no registration by party, and there’s a tradition of crossover voting — most notably in 2000, when some Democrats backed McCain as a means of embarrassing pro-Bush Gov. John Engler.

“And Republicans came out to vote for George Wallace in the ’70s,” said Michigan Democratic Chairman Mark Brewer. “We don’t encourage it. But people are people. It’s gonna happen.”

“I don’t think it’s a vast left-wing conspiracy, but the press and people seem to be chatting in that direction,” Alper said. “Mitt should be a favorite son here, but folks feel like he’s been a traitor on the auto issue — and as we take our auto jobs seriously here, that can motivate people.”

..........Yep that's because PPP, a Democrat polling firm, COOKED the hell out of this poll. If you look at the internals of the poll you will see that 48% of the respondents were Evangelical in a state according to the US Labor Department that is made up of 27% Evangelicals........lol

Poor PPP got caught big time COOKING that poll........................Rasmussen, had Angry Ricky up by 3% in MI yesterday, probably much better.

Mitt will be fine in Michigan and he should win AZ too on February 28th................

The DNC released a lying and misleading narrative on the Detroit Bailout the first week in June 2011 when Mitt Romney launched his campaign.................. and Obama's MSM Super Wolf Pacs ran with the LIE...........

I am a son of Detroit. I was born in Harper Hospital and lived in the city until my family moved to Oakland County.

I grew up drinking Vernors and watching ballgames at Michigan & Trumbull. Cars got in my bones early. And not just any cars, American cars.

When the president of American Motors died suddenly in 1954, my dad, George Romney, was asked to take his place. I was 7 and got my love of cars and chrome and fins and roaring motors from him. I grew up around the industry and watched it flourish. Years later, I watched with sadness as it floundered.

Three years ago, in the midst of an economic crisis, a newly elected President Barack Obama stepped in with a bailout for the auto industry. The indisputable good news is that Chrysler and General Motors are still in business. The equally indisputable bad news is that all the defects in President Obama's management of the American economy are evident in what he did.

Instead of doing the right thing and standing up to union bosses,Obama rewarded them.

A labor union that had contributed millions to Democrats and his election campaign was granted an ownership share of Chrysler and a major stake in GM, two flagships of the industry.The U.S. Department of Treasury — American taxpayers — was asked to become a majority stockholder of GM. And a politically connected and ethically challenged Obama-campaign contributor, the financier Steven Rattner, was asked to preside over all this as auto czar.

This was crony capitalism on a grand scale. The president tells us that without his intervention things in Detroit would be worse. I believe that without his intervention things there would be better.

As a military retiree, and from Michigan, I am asking all Residents of Michigan to not support this MODERATE MITT, who will say, and do anything, to be elected. He is just not trustworthy. He does not care about the poor. He likes McCain who wants to increase military retiree TRICARE costs. He is BIG GOVERNMENT at its worst. His ROMNEYCARE was the example of OBAMACARE. Please support this military retiree, and do not elect MODERATE MITT, for the sake of the Poor, Middle Class Americans that I know wants an Honest Man, who MODERATE MITT, the WAFFLER, is not.

Santorum's ability to use emotion to communicate makes him a dangerously appealing candidate. But if Mitt can relax in Michigan and show some father-son emotion he might get some footage he could use later on.

The Santorum-as-blank-slate view of the Pennsylvanian is shared by Romney’s Michigan backers, who already had their talking points down early this week.

“His support of Arlen Specter, his vote for [then-appellate judge Sonia] Sotomayor, his record on earmarks and spending,” House Speaker Jase Bolger ticked off. “He sells himself as an unblemished conservative, but his record shows a different story. That really has not been explored yet in Michigan and I think once it is explored voters will make their decisions based on some of those issues.”

Yeah the FACT is Angry Rick is a Fiscal Big Government Liberal and a Social Right-Winger.............who has a huge issue with woman voters, just like Gingrich.

When the voters of PA threw Angry Rick out of office in 2006 he lost Married woman by 18% and Unmarried woman by 38%. Bob Casey, Democrat, who won that night won with woman by a margin of 61% to 39%.

Needless to say Angry Rick Stantorum would be very toxic in the General Election......

Republicans already have a problem with woman voters.

I can't believe that a "true" Conservative, lol, would vote for Judge Sonia Sotomayor......................Mitt or RP need to and ad on that FACT

..........Yep that's because PPP, a Democrat polling firm, COOKED the hell out of this poll. If you look at the internals of the poll you will see that 48% of the respondents were Evangelical in a state according to the US Labor Department that is made up of 27% Evangelicals........lol

Poor PPP got caught big time COOKING that poll........................Rasmussen, had Angry Ricky up by 3% in MI yesterday, probably much better.

EVERYONE seems to be cooking their polls, Mister Perceptions..............

The RCP average of polls measuring Obama vs. MITT has that Chicago thug Muslim Socialist up by 5.7%..........................

In fact, it shows that EVERY poll taken since January has Obama up by 5% or more.................

Of course, you taught me that polls that show MITT behind are cooked....................

While polls that show MITT ahead have scientifically proven pin-point accuracy.................

Oh the Muslims can't drink alcohol. And the Mormons can't drink coffee. As I remember it Noah got drunk after climbing out of the Ark. We used to open up the tin can rations in the bomb shelters we built in the 1960's to protect us from nuclear war. But the rock candy didn't taste right. I hear the mensch is better at disaster planning.

The problem with using the Bible as narrative for this race is that Joseph in Egypt did all that good disaster planning putting up food in the seven good years to protect the people from seven lean years. But he also raised taxes and put everyone out of their houses - inventing mortgages.